Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) and Department of Science and technology (DST) Under MOU concluded between DST & JST on 8 December 2006, JST & DST have started a new programme for joint funding of Indian-Japanese Joint Research Projects in mutually
agreed fields to achieve world class scientific results, leading towards new innovative technologies Eight joint projects were mutually finalized by JST and DST in February 2008 for joint funding in the fiscal 2008 for three years.
Next round of discussions are being held for deciding area of cooperation for the next call of proposals (2008).

Six additional projects on multidisciplinary ICT have been approved for funding in the financial year 2009.

DST-KEK Indian Beam Line Facility at High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK) Tsukuba:
MoU between Department of Science and Technology (DST) and KEK Tsukuba (High Energy Accelerator Research Organization) was signed during PM’s visit on 22 October 2008 for leasing a synchrotron beamline and constructing an experiment hutch for research in the area of material science and the Photon Factory KEK. As per the MoU, DST(GOI) sanctioned the project for establishment of Indian Beamline facility at KEK Tsukuba with an annual lease cost of 150,00,000 Yen in 2009 for five years. Total cost of the project is about Rs 20 crore in five years. Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, Kolkata is the Indian Coordinating Agency for constructing the beam line. As has been the practice followed by Synchrotron facilities, world over, at least half (about 360 shifts of 8 hours each every year) of the beam time would be available to Indian scientists approved by the Indian Screening Committee and the remaining time may be allotted by KEK. Thus on average, 30-40 experiments may be carried out be Indian scientists every year on this facility.

The Beam line has been handed over to the Indian side with effect from 1st April 2009. A 5-member Indian scientific team as posted at KEK for preparing the experiment hutch at the beam line. Indian scientists from SINP, Kolkata; Institute of Technology (BHU), Varanasi; SNBNCBS, Kolkata; UGC-DAE Consortium for Scientific Research, Indore and BARC, Mumbai have been doing experiments using the facility at the Photon Factory, KET, Tsukuba.
The nodal scientific organization from Indian side is Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, Kolkata which functions under Department of Atomic Energy. Indian scientists from other DAE institutions and Universities are the main users of this facility in Tsukuba. Till date, about 40 Indian scientists have successfully used this facility for research purposes. Two scientists from SINP are continuously stationed at KEK Tsukuba for maintaining and operating the facility.National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) & Department of Bio-Technology (DBT) First Indo-Japan Workshop in the area of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology and an International AIST Symposium on Understanding and Manipulating Stress,
Aging and Cancer were held at National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, during January 21-23, 2008. It was jointly organized by AIST International Affairs Department, AIST Research Institute for Cell Engineering and Department of
Biotechnology (DBT), Ministry of Science & Technology, Government of India.

The Workshop was a follow up of a comprehensive MoU signed between DBT and AIST on February 12, 2007 to work jointly in the field of biotechnology and aimed to finalize cooperation issues for joint R&D Projects and fellowship schemes to initiate bilateral cooperation.

During the Workshop, both sides intensively discussed and finalized various plans and policies leading to bilateral cooperation in the following specific R&D areas related to Bioinformatics and Computational Biology:-

Development of Bio-complex (Protein Interaction), Data Base

Development of Functional Database for membrane protein (Folding and Stability)

Glycobiology

Cell Engineering and Biomedical Science

First India-Japan Workshop in the area of Bio-informatics and Computational Biology and an International AIST Symposium on Understanding and Manipulating Stress, Aging and Cancer were held at National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology(AIST),
Tsukuba, during January 21-23, 2008

Regular bilateral exchanges are ongoing in the following specific areas: Bio-informatics and Computational Biology; Development of Bio-complex (Protein Interaction), Data Base Development of Functional Database for membrane protein (Folding and Stability);
Glycobiology and Cell Engineering and Biomedical Science.

National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) & Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) A workshop on collaboration between AIST and CSIR was held on 12 February 2007 at CSIR Science Centre, New Delhi, for mutual cooperation
in the areas of coal, biomass, organic chemical process and life sciences. This was a follow up of the MOU between AIST of Japan and CSIR of India.

National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) & Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) A joint symposium on Nano & Soft Matters was organized by AIST and JNCASR at JNCASR, Bangalore on 8-9 February 2007.

RIKEN-Indian Institute of Science (IISC) For identification of joint projects in the genome related research, IISC-RIKEN Conference on Genomics and Bioinformatics was held at Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore on 15-16 March 2007.

ISRO-JAXA (Space Science) MOU was signed for the first time between the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) in October, 2005 to cooperate in the field of space science including lunar missions and X-ray astronomy,
satellite remote sensing, satellite communication, and disaster management support.

An agreement for cooperation in space based X-ray astronomy is likely to be inked between ISRO & JAXA during this year. This agreement envisions joint calibration on X-ray instruments, coordinated observations between Japanese Suzaku and Indian Astrosat and joint development
of X-ray astronomy instruments for future missions.

Scientists level interactions are in progress on lunar missions, which are expected to gain momentum after the launch of Japanese Selene on 16 August 2007 and in Chandrayan-I.

ISRO co-hosted the 14th Session of Asia Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum (APRSAF) from 21-23 November 2007 in Bangalore along with MEXT and JAXA of Japan. This forum aims at promoting cooperation in space activities in AP region.

India has joined the Japan led Sentinel Asia project under the aegis of APRSAF as Data providing Node, Capacity building Node and User Node for empowering the countries of AP region to manage disasters through space based information.

JAXA has supported the ISRO’s initiative to seek Japan’s support to the ISRO funded and managed UN-CCSTEAP located at Dehradun, through signing of Host Country Agreement.

A 12-member delegation from Department of Space/ISRO visited Tsukuba from 8-14 July 2007 to attend ISRO-JAXA Multilateral Young Professional Exchange Program (MYPEP) programme organized by JAXA.

NGRI-PARI (Tsunami) A Joint Workshop on Tsunami as decided in the IJSC meeting of January, 2005 was also organized at National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) during 18-19 March, 2005 in Hyderabad.
The follow up seminar on Tsunami was organized in Japan at Port and Airport Research Institute (PARI), Sendai from August 6 to 9, 2006. A senior scientist from NGRI took part in the proceedings.

Joint Projects are being coordinated between DST and JSPS as reported in the India Japan Science council meeting in March 2007.

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)

Indo-Japanese Collaboration For IIITDM, Jabalpur A Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) for the development of Pandit Dwarka Prasad Mishra (PDPM) Indian Institute of information Technology, Design &
Manufacturing (IIITDM) Jabalpur was signed between the Governments of India and Japan on December 15, 2006.
MOFA has formed a consortium of Japanese universities/ institutes/
industries that will assist the IIITDM-J to develop those areas in which Japan has considerable skills and expertise. University of Tokyo agreed to be the core organization of the consortium.

IIT Hyderabad Based on the joint statement issued during the visit of the Japanese Prime Minister to India on 22 August, 2007 a Joint Working Group was constituted by the governments of India and Japan
to explore the possible collaboration for the establishment of the new IIT. The first meeting of the Working Group was held on 7 February, 2008 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), Tokyo.